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Massaman Curry Paste
Serves 250 Prep 1 hr Cook 5 min Total 1 hr 5 min Type Curry Origin Thai

Massaman Curry Paste

Thailand's massaman curry paste: dry-roasted dried chillies, lemongrass, galangal, cinnamon.

Serves Approx. 250 ml Prep 40-60 minutes Cook 5 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Spice-heavy paste for massaman curries, with Muslim roots. More spices than other curries; requires pounding for smooth texture.

Ingredients

Whole spices

  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 ½ tbsp cumin seeds
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 whole nutmeg
  • Seeds from 6 green cardamom pods
  • 5 cm (2 in) piece cinnamon stick

Chillies and aromatics

  • 12 dried red bird’s eye chillies, soaked in water for 30 minutes and cut into small pieces
  • 8 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2-3 shallots (small), thinly sliced
  • 1 long lemongrass stalk (white part only), thinly sliced (about 3 generous tbsp)
  • 1 thumb-sized piece galangal, sliced into thin rounds
  • ½ lime (zest)
  • 3 lime leaves (fresh or frozen)

Paste

  • 1 tsp shrimp paste

Method

Stage 1 - Toast and grind spices

  1. Heat pan over medium-high heat; toast whole spices until fragrant but not smoking.
  2. Transfer to pestle and mortar; cool and pound to fine powder.

Stage 2 - Pound to paste

  1. Add soaked chillies; pound to paste.
  2. Add garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, lime zest, and lime leaves.
  3. Pound 40-60 mins until smooth and buttery.

Stage 3 - Add shrimp paste

  1. Add shrimp paste; pound to incorporate.
  2. Taste and adjust.

Notes

  • Use mortar and pestle for best flavor; blender alternative possible but less authentic.
  • Keeps 2 weeks refrigerated; freezes 2 months.

Serving

  • Not served directly; used in massaman curries.

Storage

  • Refrigerate 2 weeks in airtight container.
  • Freeze up to 2 months; thaw before use.

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